These Moments We Steal
by aaaaaaaaaa-sa-a
Summary: A collection of Heroes of Olympus one-shots. Mostly romance. And fluff. Plus, a whole ton of angst.
1. Chapter 1: Marry Me?

Five years after the Second Giant War, Leo and Calypso showed up on Annabeth and Percy's doorstep in New Rome, both alive and well. They immediately invited over _everyone_, and there were tears and hugs. Leo had introduced Calypso to the gang, and, she had to admit, Annabeth got a bit jealous. But she could clearly see that Percy had gotten over the Titaness, and Calypso over the demigod.

Leo had grown taller, almost rivaling Annabeth (whom had grown to a solid six feet over the years) but not quite. He had a beard now, too, and some actual muscles, which was new. He looked about nineteen, compared to Jason and Piper's twenty-one. Annabeth guessed that he had been dead for a little while, and the magic around Calypso's island had messed with his aging.

The demigods had wanted to get right down to partying, but their apartment was a tad too small, so they had opted for Frank's praetor house.

Piper and Jason were constantly poking Leo in the arms and resting their hands on his shoulders, just to make sure he was here and alive and not on fire. Coach Hedge had threatened that if Leo were to do anything like that again, he'd knock him into next year. Then the satyr burst into tears, and no one judged him. Hazel had stared at him, like when they first met. Even Frank had been all buddy-buddy.

The Seven, plus baby Chuck, Gleason, Mellie, and Reyna, were watching Disney's Hercules (Leo's favorite) late in the night. Annabeth was laid out on Percy's lap, baby Chuck, who seemed to really like her, snoring comfortably on her chest.

Looking at her friends-become-family, Annabeth realized how _old_ they all were. She had Percy had just graduated from _college_, and Hazel was getting ready to attend the university. Reyna was a few months away from her _retirement_. Annabeth glanced as Coach Hedge rubbed his hand lovingly over Mellie's swollen belly, as Piper removed glasses from a snoring Jason, tenderly placing a kiss on his forehead, and as Frank took a sip from his hard apple cider.*

They had changed so much, but, yet, were the same people whom had been on the Argo II five years ago.

It all hit her at once. For ten years, from seven to seventeen, Annabeth had expected only to live another month, maybe a year. She had never anticipated to that she would live past seventeen, but, here she was, twenty-two years old, fresh out of college, living in New Rome with her boyfriend.

_Boyfriend. _That didn't seem enough to call Percy. _Soulmate_ usually didn't cut it, either, because most people just didn't understand. They had been through so much together. They were two halves of one whole, but they were still just _boyfriend and girlfriend_.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, craning her neck so he could look at him.

His attention shifted from the movie to her. As did everyone else's, since they were at a rather quiet, dull part in the movie.

"Hm?" he said, cradling the back of her head with one hand and stroking baby Chuck's arm with the other.

"Marry me?" she asked.

His eyes widened in shock, caught off-guard by the question. But the surprised expression quickly got replaced by a warm smile and kind eyes. He pecked her lips. "Okay," he said.

"Alright." Annabeth turned her head back to the movie, kissing her _fiancé's_ palm in the process. She squirmed a bit, careful not to wake Chuck, and got herself comfy again. "Cool."

"Alrighty, then." His hand moved from Chuck to her hip, rubbing small circles on the sharp bone.

"What just…happened?" asked Hazel slowly.

"I believe," said Frank, "they just got engaged."

"Oh."

"Really?" Piper demanded, sounding like her mother was speaking though her. Jason jerked awake. "That's it? No big gesture? No heart-filled speech? Not even a _ring_?"

"Nope," Annabeth said simply.

"What?" Jason mumbled sleepily.

"Annabeth just asked Percy to marry her. He said yes," explained Reyna. "And…That's it."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh. Congrats, guys." There was a round of congratulations, Leo adding a whoop at the end of his.

"There wasn't even a ring!" Piper fumed.

"Don't worry, Pipes." Jason yawned, his eyes fluttering shut. "I got you a ring." His head lolled back, already snoring.

"Yeah, but they didn't–" She cut herself off abruptly. Her face turned red. "Wait, Jason. What do you mean? Jason? Jason!"

Sadly, the reunion was not a sleepover. At least not for Percy, Annabeth, and Reyna. Reyna disappeared next door, and the newly engaged couple went back to their apartment. Everyone else stayed the night at Frank's house.

Percy and Annabeth climbed under the blankets and got all cuddled up.

"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy whispered. Annabeth craned her neck to look at him.

"Hm?"

"Can we have a baby?"

Annabeth smiled softly at him and kissed him. "Okay," she said when she pulled away.

"Alright." She turned away, a giddy grin on her face that she buried into her pillow. "Cool."

"Alrighty, then."

And that was how they made possibly the best two choices of their life.

**AN: I hope you all liked it! And I'm sorry of they were OOC (especially Piper). Constructive criticism always appreciated, and review always welcome.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Disney's (see the possessive 's at the end? That means it's not mine unless mine name was Disney. Which it's ****_not_****) Hercules.**

**Have a nice day!**

***To show that he's twenty-one and can drink beer and the like.**


	2. Chapter Two: Just Fall Asleep in My Arms

**AN: This series, as stated in the summary, will be a collection of one-shots in the Heroes of Olympus universe. (Or can be AU.)**

**Prompts are very much appreciated, but I will not do anything M. **

**I really do hope you enjoy, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**Thanks for clicking on my story, and even further thanks if you read it! :D**

"That's the last one?" Sally asked. She turned to Annabeth. "Are you sure you packed everything?"

Annabeth laughed. "I'm sure, Mrs. Jackson. I pack lightly." She grabbed shoulder two of her four small (for a teenage girl) bags. "Thanks for dropping me off, anyway."

She was about to go for the last two, but Percy snatched them up. "Can I stay with Annabeth, Mom? Please? Help her unpack? Since her roommate won't be here until tomorrow."

"Of course, dear. I'll pick you up around noon." Sally shut the car's trunk. A keychain whirled around her finger. "But, just know, that since I have a key, I won't knock, so don't try anything."

With a pointed look at the horrified, blushing couple, she climbed into the red Prius and drove away.

"I'm going to pretend that she never said the last sentence," Percy announced.

"Agreed," Annabeth said. "We never speak of that again."

She pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth. "C'mon," she said. "I'm in room 307."

"Lead away, Wise Girl," Percy teased, knowing that she had already memorized the layout from the map she had gotten.

A bright smile spread on her face; that smile she reserved her him, the one that showed off that she had, in fact, adorable dimples. They hefted the bags into the dorms building and up three flights of stairs. As Annabeth inserted the key, Percy kissed the back of her head, just because he could.

The room was completely bear. It had two desks, two wardrobes, and two beds, one window, and the walls were painted light blue. There was a door off to the right; the bathroom, Percy presumed.

The bags were placed on the floor, and the demigods started to unpack. Her bags consisted of clothes, books, her laptop, and different papers and pencils for architecture stuff.

They were done in an hour, and Annabeth pulled out the architecture stuff for her redesign of Mount Olympus. She sat on her bed, notes and blueprints strewn on the blanket, her laptop perched on her lap.

Percy leaned over to stare at the screen, not too sure on what to do. Was he supposed to just…creep around her stuff? No, that probably wasn't good, especially since _creep_ was in that sentence. Was it too early in their relationship for foot rubs? Did Annabeth even _like_ them?

Gods, there needed to be a class for new boyfriends at Camp Half-Blood.

His stomach rumbled, and she gave him a teasing smile. "Hungry, Seaweed Brain?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'll go get a snack from the vending machine."

Her smile only widened. "Do you even know where it is?"

"Uh, no. How hard could it be?" He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger, and she hummed her approval of his action. He mentally fist-pumped. _Good idea, Jackson. Keep them coming._

"Uh-huh," Annabeth said when he pulled away. "Good luck."

It took Percy forty-five minutes to find the vending machine. And when he got there, he was crushed to figure out he didn't have enough money to get the potato chips he wanted.

Cursing over-priced prices, Percy walked back to Annabeth's dorm. He unlocked the door with the key she gave him, ready to rant, but what he saw caused him to fall inaudible.

Annabeth, a pencil tucked behind her ear, had dozed off. Her head rested on her hand. Percy leaned against the door, nearly sighing from how her impossible adorableness was constricting his chest.

Many times over had Percy fretted about Annabeth not getting a lot of sleep recently. The task of redesigning Olympus was keeping her up late many nights, and the dark circles under eyes were proof of that.

The door creaked under Percy's weight, and Annabeth jerked awake. Her hand immediately went to her belt, (where her knife was concealed under her shirt in case of monsters) but when she saw it was her boyfriend, she visibly relaxed and let out a puff of breath.

"It's just you," she said. "I thought you were a monster."

"Yeah, it's 'just me,'" Percy joked, a small smile playing on his lips.

Then he frowned, his brow creasing. "I'm sorry I woke you, Wise Girl," he said softly, shutting the door and walking over to her. "You should go back to sleep."

"Nah." She shook off her drowsiness, but Percy could see the way her eyelids drooped. "I've still got to design…_redesign_ Aphrodite's temple, then she wants a statue for her son Eros. Hephaestus wants a new layout to his forage, and Dionysus wants a personalized archway leading into his garden. Plus, Mom…"

"…Would not you want you drilling yourself into the ground," Percy finished for her. He took the laptop from her hands and closed it, placing it to the side, even after Annabeth made that noise of protest he can never resist. His will was strong when it came to her well-being.

He slipped behind her, trapping her between his legs and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Pressing his lips to her ear, he whispered, "Sleep, Wise Girl."

She fought against him half-heartedly. "I don't _need_ sleep," she insisted. The yawn at the end of her sentence didn't _exactly_ help her cause. "What I _need_ is for you to get off me so I can finish my wor–Gah…"

The last part was cut off when Percy nuzzled the sweet-spot right below her ear that always made her head loll back. This time it did not disappoint. Annabeth's head dropped against his shoulder; her neck completely exposed to him. He lavished the skin with feather-light kisses, bringing one of his hands up to massage her scalp.

He didn't know what to expect, but he had seen this in a movie once. If it had a chance of getting Annabeth some much-needed rest, then he'd try it.

Apparently the movie was correct, because Annabeth's eyes fluttered shut and her breathing slowly evened out. Percy glanced at her. That constricting feeling in his chest was back again, and this time it was ten times more powerful. It made it seem like he couldn't breathe, but then again, being next to Annabeth was like breathing oxygen for the first time.

It was confusing, really. But also…three stages past "really nice."

Percy moved his legs so that she was completely curled up against him, because he wouldn't move for the life of him, even if she was cold and wanted a blanket.

(Just kidding. Of course he'd get the blanket for her. Her wish was his command.)

He slowly rocked her back and forth, burying his face into her soft hair. Her shampoo smelled of lemons.

The door opened and his mom came in before he realized time had passed.

Sally had her hand covering her eyes. "Alright!" she said jokingly. "You guys better be decent, or–"

"Mom!" Percy hissed, a little harsher then intended. But she was being loud and might have woken Annabeth up.

"What…" Sally took her hand away from her face, and her expression softened. "Aww. That's adorable!" she cooed quietly, sensing the need for silence.

"Mom," Percy groaned, his face completely red. He stopped his rocking without noticing. Annabeth grasped his shirt a little tighter.

"I need a picture!" Sally said. She fished through her purse and pulled out her phone, snapping a shot of the couple. She forgot to turn the sound off, and the shutter sounded.

Annabeth blinked sleepily.

"Oh!" Sally exclaimed, recoiling slightly. She had a purely guilty look on her face, since she, too, knew how much Annabeth needed sleep. "Sorry, dear," she whispered.

"Wha…?" Annabeth muttered, dragging a hand over her face.

"Shh, shh, Wise Girl," Percy murmured in her ear. He started up the rocking again. "Everything's fine. Go back to sleep, yeah?"

She grunted, then buried her face back into Percy's neck. Her breathing evened out again.

"I'll call you when she wakes up, okay?" Percy said, turning back to his mom. "Then you can come and pick me up."

"Sounds good," Sally said. She moved behind the door, ready to shut it, but before she did, she gave him a pointed look and told him, "Remember. I have a key."

Percy ended up staying the whole night, rocking his girlfriend and staying awake until the wee hours of the mourning.

But that was okay with him. He'd stay up the rest of his nights if it meant Annabeth got the rest she deserved.

**AN: I hope you liked! Notice that last line? I was thinking of a squeal where Annabeth tries to get Percy to sleep, but only if you guys want it. **

**Constructive criticism always appreciated and reviews always welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3: His Past was in Shambles

**AN: This is a Jiper story. (Finally! Something other than Percabeth! It's a miracle! :D)**

**Prompts are very much appreciated, but I will not do anything M.**

**I really do hope you enjoy, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**Thanks for clicking on my story, and even further thanks if you read it!**

Jason woke up with a headache.

Again.

Despite that, he concentrated hard to hold onto his dream/memory. It…it had something to do with Reyna, he was sure. And…he got hit on the head, maybe?

The dream danced just out of his grasp, and when Jason tried to reach it, head-splitting pain burned around his eyes and in his forehead.

"Gah!" Jason pressed his clammy palms against his head.

Why was he even trying _here_? Clovis would have a better bet getting to Jason's memory dream. Jason would have to go after breakfast. He pulled on different clothes and exited the Zeus cabin.

The winter mourning was chilly, and the sun casted a kind of cold light on Camp Half-Blood. Many of the other campers were awake and headed to the dining pavilion. The Hephaestus cabin moved away from it, holding different kinds of food. Jake Mason waved at Jason as they passed, disappearing into the forest where Bunker Nine was.

Jason wanted to go after them. See if he could help, or anything. But mostly he was used as a delivery service, and Leo IM'ed him if they needed anything picked up.

He started toward the dining pavilion, but something better than food caught his attention.

His girlfriend, Piper McLean, was chatting with two of her siblings in front of their cabin. The soft sunlight made her hair turn almost golden, and her skin glow. She was smiling brightly and using all kinds of hand movements as she talked.

Walking up behind her, Jason slipped his hand into hers. Her smile widened and she bit her lip for a second, but went on talking to Lacy and Mitchell about new plans for the cabin.

Whatever Jason had with Reyna, he was sure it was just friendship. And what he had with Piper…It was more than that.

Mitchell looked at him and nodded at Piper, like, _C'mon, man. Kiss her._

Jason couldn't refuse an offer like that, especially if it was from her older brother. Putting a finger under her chin, Jason cut off her rant by pressing his lips to hers. She instantly melted into him.

When he pulled away, he whispered, "Hi."

"Hello," she said breathlessly. "Fancy meeting you here." She kissed him again, and he melted into her.

Jason guessed that how long they kissed would have made anyone uncomfortable. Anyone _besides_ Mitchell and Lacy. He vaguely heard them cooing, but he couldn't be sure, because his attention was on Piper.

"Get a room!" someone shouted, and Piper and Jason jumped apart. He realized pretty much the entire camp was staring at them.

Piper shifted on her feet, obviously uncomfortable. She was blushing. Jason predicted he was, too, but he turned to her, and asked calmly, "Want to go get breakfast?"

She smiled, lacing their fingers together again. "Sure."

And, as Jason stared walked next to her, he had the feeling that if he was next to her, even if he never ever got his memories, it would be okay.

**AN: Thanks for reading! I'm sorry if it was a little short, or if anyone was OOC. I just wanted to get the idea out, you know?**

**Reviews are always welcome, and, again, prompts for this series are very much appreciated! **


	4. Chap 4: I Put Your Pieces Back Together

**AN: Frazel! Yay!**

**CanwejustTALKaboutbooks: **_**Frazel, Hazel has a mental breakdown about her past, and Nico is not there to help her, so Frank wings it and attempts to make her feel better, but becomes really awkward, but of course, IS ADORABLE WITH FRAZEL. ends up with Hazel laughing at him (in a cute way) and them just being cute**_

**Hopefully this is what you wanted.**

Frank couldn't sleep.

He was usually out cold whenever it was his turn to sleep, but this time he couldn't.

Maybe it was because Piper forced Leo to get some rest and a war-crazy satyr was behind the wheel of the _Argo II_. Frank never _could_ completely trust Coach Hedge's driving (mainly because he could decide to bomb an army base on a whim), but with Annabeth in Tartarus, there was no one else who knew how to steer.

A gloomy cloud cast over him at the thought of his lost (possibly dead) friend, and Frank scowled down at his mac 'n' cheese. (He stress-ate cheese, okay?) Horrible musings filled his mind.

_You should have done something, _said a voice that sounded like his grandmother. I_f you would've just turned into a dragon and flew down there, then you could have saved them._

He knew what Nico had said about the pull, but Frank couldn't help that he could have done _something_.

Hazel had been so _crushed_. She had hid her face in his shirt for an hour. It broke his heard to hear her muffled sobs. Frank felt bad about not comforting her, but he had been busy burying his own tears in her curly hair.

Everyone else had been sad, too, of course.

Gleason had muttered something how since he couldn't take care of these kids, how was he supposed to care for one of his own? (Frank didn't get what he meant.) Piper had chanted "No tears. No tears," in charmspeak to herself.

For the few days they had been traveling, Leo and Frank had scrambled to split up Annabeth's role between them, but it was hard. Jason, too, had to cover Percy's position as a major powerhouse.

But they ("they" meaning everyone besides Frank) most likely didn't realize that they were pressuring Hazel to pick up some of the child of the Big Three slack. Technically, she was a child of the Big Three, too.

It was really beating down on the poor girl. It was beating down on everyone, too, but Frank was mostly worried about Hazel. She'd already been through so much in her short years of living. Frank just wanted to wrap her up in a sweater and store her away some place where Gaea could _never_ touch her.

That was absurd, of course. They needed Hazel, and she wanted to help. She was one of The Seven, but Frank would never stop wanting to shield her away from all harm.

Faintly, he heard Piper and Jason start up a conversation above deck, and he wondered how long he'd sat there, in the mess hall, staring at his cheesy pasta like it held the secrets of the universe.

Picking up his plate, Frank dragged his feet out of the mess hall and into the real hall, scooping spoonsful of his mac 'n' cheese as he went. Might as well go to his room and try to get some rest.

He passed by cabins until he got to his. He reached for the doorknob, but then he heard a moan of anguish across the hall and three doors down.

Hazel's room.

All thoughts of going to bed fled Frank's mind, replaced by worry for his girlfriend. Stumbling down the hall, he fumbled with her doorknob until he opened it. Coach Hedge would probably kill him for sneaking into her room this late, but he needed to make sure she was okay.

No, not just _okay_.

That she was _safe_.

Hazel was stretched out across her bead, shivering violently. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, her face twisted with distress, and she mumbled to herself, "No. No, please, go away. Go away!" Her voice broke off with a sob. Tears slipped past her closed eyelids and streamed down her cheeks.

"Hazel!" Frank exclaimed. He was at her side, shaking her shoulder. "Hazel! Hazel, wake up. It's just a dream. It's not real!"

Her eyes flew open, and she shot up, gasping for breath. She looked panicked for moment before finding her boyfriend. "Frank," she sobbed, and threw herself into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around her, murmuring soothing things into her ear as she cried into his shoulder. "It was just a dream," he whispered. "I promise."

"No, it wasn't!" Hazel insisted. "The-The Voice was _there_, and she-she grabbed me, Frank!" She sobbed again. "She _grabbed_ me."

_The Voice._

Frank searched his mind. That was what she called Gaea, right? When she possessed her mother.

So that was a nightmare about Hazel's past. Frank began to panic. He had no idea how to calm her when she dreamed about her past. Sure, he knew all about it, but she hadn't had a blackout since she shared one with him. The only time after that was when she intentionally triggered it.

He could go get Nico. The guy had been dealing with Hazel's blackouts since before Frank had met them.

But…no. Nico could barely take care of himself these days. There was no chance for him to handle taking on Hazel's baggage, too.

So, Frank just rubbed Hazel's back and tried to get her to calm down.

It worked. It got to the point where Hazel was just sniffling against his shirt.

Wait…No. She was sniffling against his chest; his _bare_ chest. Frank hadn't had too many shirts to spare to use as night shirts, so he just stopped wearing them when he went to bed.

"Oh gods!" Hazel apparently just had the same realization as he did, because she pulled back quickly. "Oh gods, I'm sorry, Frank!" She fanned her flushed face.

"I'm sorry!" Frank yelped at the same time, jumping back. He tripped and landed on his rear. "I didn't mean–I just–You were having a nightmare and–I'm sorry!" he squeaked again.

They stammered, stumbling over their words as they both hurried out apologies.

Finally, Hazel sighed, breaking the trend. "Thank you, Frank," she said quietly. "For…waking me up from my nightmare."

"Of-of course! Any time!" he exclaimed, then cringed. "I mean, I'm not wishing more nightmares on you! I just–"

He cut off when Hazel started laughing. "I–what?" he asked, not exactly catching up yet. For some reason, his red face made it harder to concentrate.

"Just…look at us." She smiled. She didn't have to elaborate.

Frank cracked his own grin and let out a slightly uneasy chuckle. "We _are_ pretty ridiculous," he admitted, his smile becoming wider when he locked eyes with Hazel through the darkness.

They both burst out in giggles, because it _is_ ridiculous. If a shirtless Jason had woken up Piper from a nightmare, they most likely would have played it off cooler.

"Can you turn on the light, please, Frank?" Hazel asked once she recovered from their giggle fit.

"Sure." Frank pulled himself up from the floor, stumbling on his feet a little, and flicked the light switch.

Hazel smiled at him, and she was beautiful. There was tear stains on her face, her eyes were red, she was covered in sweat, and she was so beautiful to Frank that it made his heart expand, like he was trying to make more room to save this perfect image.

She patted the spot next to her, and scooted over to make more room for him on her bed. Their eyes flutter around the room, looking anywhere but each other's blushing face, but their hands are curled together, and that makes his heart expand even more.

Her golden eyes land on her doorway, and they widened in surprise. "Is that…mac 'n' cheese on the floor?" she asked slowly.

He looked where she was, and he realized that, in the rush to open her door, his plate had slipped from his hand.

"I…uh…No…?" he said, unconvincingly.

"Frank!" she scolded, smacking his arm. "You know better to eat cheese!" He gave her a sheepish look and a "can't help that I'm clumsy" shrug.

Her stern look wavered into a grin. "You spilled mac 'n' cheese on my door," she said, giggles breaking through the sentence.

He smiled softly back. "Well," he drawled out, "I didn't _spill_ it. I…threw it at an enemy. Protecting you."

"Really?" Hazel said.

"Yep."

"My hero." She planted a kiss on his cheek before falling into another laughing fit because of his adorkable clumsiness.

Frank wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

He might not have been able to keep her from all danger, but keeping her smiling was just as good.

**AN: Hopefully that was what you were expecting, CanwejustTALKaboutbooks. It was extremely fun to write.**

**I hope you all enjoyed, and that everything was alright. ****If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**


	5. Chapter 5: To Dream

**AN: T****his one's a little angsty, a little fluffy, and all Percabeth.**

**Prompts are very much appreciated, but I will not do anything M. **

Annabeth knew the danger.

It could end up horribly wrong, with their nightmares and all, and for that reason, they agreed on it. They had no self-control in their dreams, so the hazard of hurting them was too great.

But after spotting baby Jasper sleeping between Jason and Piper, and hearing tiny Adan snoring on her father's stomach during a get-together, a hollow feeling settled in Annabeth's chest. It expanded when Leo burst into flames, and Adan was unaffected.

Nights later with no sleep, Annabeth detached herself from Percy and crawled out of bed to look at the identical cradles holding their twin sons, Robert (nicknamed Smallest Bob) and Damasen (nicknamed DJ).

Damasen yawned and opened his eyes with the presence of his mother. He cooed and reached for her, cubby hands grabbing at the air until Annabeth let him grasp her much larger finger. An affectionate smile played on her lips when Damasen brought her finger to his mouth, teething at it with no teeth.

"What'ca doing, Wise Girl?" Percy whispered, patting both of their sons faces before wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "I didn't hear DJ or Smallest Bob cry." He nipped lightly at her ear, and she leaned back into him with a sigh.

"No. I just…" She sighed again. "Do you ever think we're missing out?"

He stopped his attack on her ear. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" She struggled to find the words, which barely happened. "Jasper _always_ sleeps between Jason and Piper, and Adan _can't_ sleep without being on Leo. Even Clarisse once told me that Ethan likes to be in between her and Chris. And I know it's dangerous, but I just can't help but think…"

"…That there's some kind of special connection we're missing out on?" Percy finished for her. Annabeth nodded mutely, and Percy sighed into her shoulder. "I think about it, too, Wise Girl, but the nightmares…"

"And I _know_ that," Annabeth insisted quietly. "But it's just something that I want."

They stayed there for a long moment. Damasen drifted back to sleep, and they finally went back to bed.

;

Percy woke up to the sound of the baby crying. He immediately stumbled over to the lone pink cradle before Annabeth had to tell him, because, honestly, it was his little girl.

Tiny Atalanta "Lannie" Jackson screamed at the top of her lungs. The loud noise barely affected Annabeth, who only grunted under the covers, still tired from birthing Lannie a little over a week ago.

But two-and-a-half year olds Smallest Bob and DJ ran into the room as fast as their chubby legs would let them.

As soon as they could walk, the twins figured out how to escape from their cradles, so Percy wasn't all that surprised. He scooped Lannie up, rocking her against his chest, trying to decipher what had her this upset.

DJ and Smallest Bob hugged his legs, asking what was wrong with their little sister in their jumbled baby talk.

Percy finally decided that Lannie was hungry, and he went downstairs, his sons at his heels. He smiled fondly when DJ announced, "I help," before getting Lannie's bottle from the fridge and handing it to Percy. Smallest Bob rushed to get the cloth used to wipe Lannie's mouth (she usually drooled all over herself) and placed it on the table.

The twins waited eagerly as Percy sat down, propping Lannie up, and feeding her the bottle. They watched in fascination as the milk slowly disappeared, like they had done for the past week.

DJ and Smallest Bob were so much like Annabeth, extremely smart and always knew what was needed. They even looked more like her then him, with their calculating grey eyes, though Smallest Bob's hair was blond and straight and DJ's was black and curly.

Even though he loved his sons and thought Annabeth was perfect, Percy secretly whished that Lannie would be a _bit_ more like him. There was a tuff of straight black hair on her head, so Percy was holding out hope.

After he was done feeding Lannie, he led the twins back to their sea-green nursery with Lannie on his arm. He closed and tucked them into their separate cradles. They liked it when he stayed in the room with them until they feel asleep, and he did.

He wandered back to his and Annabeth's room, and was about to climb into bed, but then he remembered something.

Lannie couldn't sleep with them.

With a hollow feeling in his chest, Percy placed Lannie back in her crib and laid down next to his wife.

Thoughts circling around his head kept him up. He'd never get to experience those father/daughter naps that Leo had once told him about. Lannie or DJ or Smallest Bob would never get to sleep next to their mom when they were sick, as Percy liked to do in his younger years.

He wondered if they were missing out on that special connection he and Annabeth had talked about two years ago.

;

All Annabeth wanted was a glass of water.

She hadn't drank enough today, busy with a flash trip to New York City to make Zeus's temple. It was important to get every block right, so there wasn't much time for water breaks.

So, obviously, she was parched when she got home.

Silently, she unwrapped Percy's arms from her waist. She padded downstairs as quietly as she could, trying not to wake her children or husband.

When she got back into her room, her cup slipped from her fingers, and she rushed forward. Percy was groaning and moaning, whirling and tangling the sheets in between his legs, perspiration beading his forehead.

Her hands fluttered over his face. "Percy!" she said, kind of desperately, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up! It's just a dream! Wake up!"

Percy shot up, gasping like he was breathing air for the first time in decades. He looked scared, his hand going for the pocket that concealed Riptide, eyes fitting around the run frantically. When they landed on Annabeth, he visibly relaxed.

He choked back a sob and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and burying his face in her stomach. She tugged at his hair lightly, whispering promises into his ear; that everything was alright, that it was just a nightmare.

"Momma! What's wrong with Dad?" Robert and Damasen stumbled into the room.

She smiled a little sadly at them. "He's alright, boys," she said. "Just a bad dream."

Three-year-old Atalanta come into the bedroom. Unlike her brothers, she didn't open her cradle–instead opting for climbing over the fence and shimmying down a bar.

When she saw the cup and water on the floor, (after having the twins, Annabeth and Percy had switched out their glass glasses for plastic ones) she bended over her touched the puddle. It dried instantly.

She took after Percy that way. Robert and Damasen had water powers, but didn't like to use them too much. Atalanta also looked like her father; sea-green eyes, dark, straight hair, and a goofy grin.

"Daddy!" she cried before launching herself at Percy. He caught her with one arm, hugging her to his side. Damasen and Robert came over to him, too, and he hugged them all to her chest.

"Did you have a bad dream, Dad?" Robert asked.

"Yeah," Percy answered.

Atalanta grinned brightly at him. "Maybe, if me and Bob and DJ sleep here, then we can fight away the bad dreams!" she slurred excitedly, and her brothers agreed with her.

"That sounds like a great idea, Lannie," Percy said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her grin broadened. "But, no."

He met his wife's eyes.

Annabeth knew the danger.

**AN: I really do hope you enjoy, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**Prompts are very much appreciated, but I will not do anything M. **

**Not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Percy Jackson.**

**Reviews always welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Prophecy Child

**AN: Prompt from dauntlessmermaid: …**_**And as a request (sorry, haha) I'd like to read an au in which Percy dies….**_

**This turned a little more Annabeth-centric than I expected, so I hope this is what you wanted.**

**There's two curse words, so, if you're not into that kind of thing, I'd recommend skipping this one-shot.**

"Put your cap back on. Get out."

"What?! No! I'm _not_ leaving you!"

"I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider–maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus."

"But you'll be _killed_!"

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."

A moment's worth of silence.

Then, a kiss.

"Be careful, Seaweed Brain."

;

When Percy Jackson opened his eyes again, he saw the Styx and Charon the ferryman, not a cave with glowing crystals.

;

Annabeth Chase ran through the dark halls.

Her wrist was definitely broken, and she couldn't tell of that cut on her back was infected or not. Her breath was coming out quickly and barely going back in, and her head hurt from lack of oxygen.

But she kept running after the spider.

Just when she was about to deactivate it, take a break, she saw light. Light at the end of the tunnel. She burst into a full sprint, and jumped, grabbing and pulling herself up on one of the rocks.

_Finally._

She was out of the Labyrinth.

"Fire!" yelled someone from the trees.

"Wait! Hold your fire!" Clarisse rushed forward, picking up Annabeth and helping her the rest of the way out.

She pulled her arms back, and her fingers were slick with Annabeth's blood. "What the heck _happened_ to you, Chase?" She glanced around. "Where are the others?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was broken sob. Then, she burst out crying. Clarisse must have urged her to sit down, because that's where she was. On the ground.

"Don't just stand there!" Clarisse snapped, rubbing Annabeth's back, trying to get her to breathe. "One of you knuckleheads best get Chiron!"

There was the sound of feet shuffling on grass, but Annabeth wasn't paying attention. Clarisse got her to calm down just as Chiron galloped up to them.

"Child," Chiron said softly, and Annabeth looked up at him. "What happened? Where is Percy? And Grover and Tyson?"

Shakily and sniffling, Annabeth explained what had happened. Chiron's expression turned grim and troubled, and his gaze turned into a glare.

"I see." He looked at Clarisse. "Get her to the infirmary."

Then he left.

"Okay. C'mon." Clarisse put her arm around Annabeth's waist, dragging her up. "Let's get you patched up, shall we?"

;

One week later…

"You're lucky you didn't die," Will Solace said for the fourteenth time, tightening the last of the gauze that wrapped around Annabeth's torso. "And you would've, if not for your exceptional healing. Anyone else…demigod or no…"

"Really?" Annabeth's voice sounded hollow and bitter, even to her own ears. "Well, maybe I should've just died."

Will gasped. "You can't mean that!"

She laughed without humor. "My first time leading quest; everyone _died_ except me. I killed the Prophecy Child. It's kind of ironic, isn't it?" She sobered up. "I've been here for seven–almost eight–_years_, Will. My death is long overdue."

Will opened his mouth, but then shut it again, walking out the door and leaving her alone.

Annabeth put on different clothes and left the infirmary.

It was like there was this _cloud_ that had passed over the camp. Everyone dragged their feet as they walked and whispered when they saw Annabeth.

She wrapped her arms around herself and hunched over, wanting to feel small. Wanting to feel like a _child_. Like Annabeth before she led this quest and got everyone killed. Maybe even before she met Percy. Just anything that wasn't _here_ and _now_.

When she went to her cabin, her siblings were all supportive and understanding. And she didn't _want_ that. She wanted them to ridicule her and remove her from position as cabin leader. What she didn't want was their empathy.

She felt like she had just committed _murder_.

And murder wasn't something people should just…_walk away from_, punishment free. Annabeth had done something _horrible_. Percy, Tyson, and Grover were all dead because of her. She _deserved_ punishment.

After one of her older brothers placing his hand on her shoulder and saying, "It wasn't your fault," she couldn't take anymore. Ripping away from him, Annabeth sprinted out the door.

One of her sisters shouted, "Annabeth, wait!"

It sounded like someone was chasing after her, but Malcom said, "Just leave her alone guys. She's been through a lot. Just…give her some time."

She ran straight for Percy's cabin, wanting to be alone. The Zeus or Artemis cabins would have probably been better for her to collect her thoughts, but…well…

She threw open the door and shoved it closed again. Her eyes scanned the room. Percy and Tyson's stuff had yet to be removed. Tears welled up in her eyelids, and she went straight for Percy's bunk.

The Minotaur horn hung over his pillow, and his bed was messy from the last time he used it. There was a can of soda that had rolled out from under its hiding place. She nudged it with her foot as she looked at the pictures on his wall.

About a quarter of them were of his mom. The rest were made up of his friends. Grover, Tyson, Thalia…

…_Annabeth_.

There was a picture of Grover and Thalia, competing to see who could chug the most lemonade in a minute. Tyson and Sally laughed in the background, and Annabeth's hand could be seen resting on the chair she had been sitting on. The next one was showed Tyson holding up a fish that he had caught. And the one after that…

A lump formed in her throat as she reached out and tugged on it until the pin holding the photo lost its grip.

This one was from Annabeth's fourteenth birthday, just that past summer. She had been soaking wet (if you had a summer birthday, it was tradition that you got thrown in the lake) and gray frosting was smeared all over her face (one of her little sisters thought it would be funny to rub that on her). Percy had thrown an arm around her, crushing her to his side, and took a selfie with a camera, not wanting to miss out on the chance of capturing her disgruntled image. He smiled, and she glared. After he pulled away, he commented on how she looked like an angry, wet kitten.

He ended up with a black eye.

Drops of water fell on the photo, and it took Annabeth a moment to realize they were coming from her own eyes.

Quickly, she wiped them away, forcing herself to stop. She had cried too much in the past week. She was a daughter of Athena, and Athena's children do not cry.

_Bottle it up. _

_Bottleitupbottleitupbottleitupbottleitupbottleitup…_

She placed it down, and headed for the Big House. Might as well try to get some work done.

;

Chiron was working on Percy's shroud when Annabeth entered the room he was in.

"Hey, Chiron," Annabeth greeted.

He didn't answer.

And…Well, that stung a little bit.

The centaur seemed…_angry_ with her arrival. Before he had been painting the shroud sea green in wonderful, long, even strokes. Now, he was slapping the paint on rashly before smoothing it out with short, jerky movements.

His behavior clicked something in her brain.

Swallowing down a lump, she asked, "Do you…do you wish it had been me?"

"Honestly, Annabeth?" Chiron sighed, placing down the paint canister and turning his wheelchair around to face her. His eyes were old and fiery at the same time. "I trained you–_raised_ you–since you were _ten years old_ to do _whatever_ it took to protect the Prophecy Child."

She dreaded his next sentence.

"Even it if meant giving up your own life."

Apparently, she wasn't worth to look at anymore and the centaur went back to his painting. Her feet stayed planted to the floor.

"You _failed_. You failed your only reason to _exist_. Your only purpose in life," Chiron said bitterly.

"So, yes, maybe I _would_ rather have Percy Jackson here instead of you."

;

"Hyah!"

Another dummy decapitated and bleeding straw.

Annabeth moved onto the next one.

"Hyah!"

"What the _hell_ are you _doing_?!"

Clarisse came barreling into the area, red-faced and angry.

"What does it–hyah!–look like I'm doing?" Annabeth grunted, slicing a dummy in half and thrusting her sword through another. "I'm letting out some–keeah!–_anger_!"

"That doesn't mean you should do it like this!"

She glanced at the daughter of Ares, chopping a dummy's head off in the corner of her eye. "Chiron pretty much told me to piss and die, so I think–grrrrrah!–I have a good reason to let out some–hyah!–steam!"

"You shouldn't be 'letting steam' off like this!" Clarisse insisted, grabbing Annabeth's sword arm. "It isn't _healthy_!"

"Of course it's healthy!" Annabeth snarled, jerking her arm away. No matter how much muscle Clarisse worked up, Annabeth would always be stronger. "I'm _exercising_."

"_No_." She grabbed her arm again, forcing her to look at the red that was starting to seep through the fabric of her T-shirt. "You're _bleeding_. There's a _difference_."

Not taking no for an answer, Clarisse made Annabeth drop her sword and dragged her away from the dummies. "You tore your stitches. You're not fully _healed_," Clarisse lectured. "In body _or_ mind, apparently."

"_What_?!" Annabeth pulled away, seething. "_My_ head is _perfectly_ healthy! _You_ don't know _what_ you're _talking about_!"

"What's healthy about it?" Clarisse demanded. "Doing _this_–keeping _everything_ bottled up–isn't _good for you_. It isn't _normal_. People are whispering on how they think you finally _snapped_."

"But–"

"And, honestly, Annabeth? I don't think they're all too far off. _Mentally healthy people_ would be crying their _heads off_ right about now! You…all you've done is _sulk_."

Annabeth scoffed, folding her arms across her chest in a defensive position. "I cried."

"_Once_," Clarisse stressed. She sighed, pressing her palm to her forehead. "Look, Princess, I _care_ about you, okay? You're my oldest friend. I just…I don't want to lose you."

Once she finished her heart-filled speech, she wrapped her arms around Annabeth and held her close.

"_What_, are you _doing_?" Annabeth said, staying completely still.

"It's called a hug," Clarisse muttered. "It's supposed to help, and I'm not letting you out of it until you cry like a _normal person_."

After ten seconds of nothing changing, Annabeth growled, "This is stupid."

"It kind of is," she agreed, "but I'm still not letting you out of it." Annabeth grumbled. "Now, what happened with Chiron?"

A moment's worth a silence passed before Annabeth explained what happened with the centaur. Clarisse didn't say anything, and Annabeth started to choke up and sniffle.

"I'd do…_whatever_ it takes to change places with Percy," she mumbled. Tears streamed from her eyelids and she began to shake. "I think I love…_loved_ him, Clarisse. I think I did."

"I know," Clarisse said softly, which was unlike her.

"Wh-what? You _do_?"

She nodded. "Everyone knew it, but Percy." Annabeth's heart fell. "But, you know what, Chase? _He_ loved _you_, too. Everyone knew it, but _you_."

;

"Now, where are _you_ going?"

Annabeth nearly jumped ten feet in the air at the sound of the male voice. Her head whipped around to see who was hanging out in the shadows, and relaxed when she saw. "What's it to _you_?" she said, throwing the bag she had prepared over her shoulder.

"I'm your doctor," Will said, coming out from the shadows, his hair catching in the midnight moonlight. He paused before adding, "And your friend. Everyone here is."

She tightened the tape she had wrapped around her arm, starting at her palms and stopping at her elbows. "I know," she replied simply.

"Then why are you running?"

"I'm not _running_." Leaning over the rocks, she peered down at the Labyrinth entrance. "I'm doing my job. The only reason I exist."

Turning to face him, she stared him down.

"I'm going to find Nico di Angelo.

"The Prophecy Child."

**AN: I don't know why, but I just love Annabeth and Clarisse's friendship. I also think that Nico and Annabeth would have a rather fine brother-sister relationship.**

**REVIEW CORNER:**

**To percabeths daughter: I don't entirely know what you're asking, but I'm setting up Nico and Will. Solangelo for the win!**

**To FizzyColaBottle310: I bet they would, but there's probably still a chance (like, one in a million, but there's still a chance) of them having nightmares and hurting their kids.**

**Prompts are very much appreciated, but I will not do anything M. **

**I really do hope you enjoyed, and that everything was alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**

**Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and reviews really do mean a lot to me.**


	7. Chap 7: It Was Supposed to be a Surprise

**AN: Okay, so I just figured out that Atlanta's name (you know, Percabeth's daughter?) should be _Atalanta_. I always thought that the city Atlanta was directly named after Atalanta, but _nope_. So...just pretend there's that other A in there, alright?**

**So, anyway, I've been writing a whole ton of angst, so here's a lil bit of future!Jasper fluff for you guys.**

Jason didn't _want_ to get up.

But he had to. So, he silently got up from the bed, careful not to wake Piper.

He got ready for the morning. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair in the master bathroom. Placing his glasses on his face, he stared himself in the mirror and told himself to get moving.

Today was a big day.

Tucking his shirt into his pants, Jason smiled fondly at his sleeping wife. Not being able to stop himself, he bent down and kissed her nose.

"Hmm." She stirred, snorted, and fell right back to sleep. He patted her shoulder lightly before sneaking out of the room.

"Jasper?" he whispered, opening a sky blue door. He flicked the lights on, and his first-born groaned. "Jasper, get up, sweetheart."

"Ugh." Jasper rolled herself over, away from the light, stuffing her face in her pillow.

"Jasper," Jason said. "You need to get up. You know what day it is."

"Yeah. One…one sec, Dad," she mumbled sleepily, her golden blond hair fanning over her pillow covers. She kicked off her blankets, but didn't move much other than that. "Just…need to collect my bearings."

He chuckled. "Well, once you do that, get Cleta up. Then come downstairs. I'll get everything ready."

"Yeah-huh, Dad," Jasper said, already starting to push herself up. She yawned, stretching her arms over her head, and her eyes widened when she saw her alarm clock. "_Dad_! It's five-thirty in the morning!"

"Well, _yeah_. You know that your mother gets up early." He rolled his eyes, chortling again. "Now, step to it, Roman! You're used to getting up a lot earlier for the legion than _this_!"

"But I'm on a _break_," she grumbled, but getting up none the less.

"Tell me if you need any help, ok, Jazz?" Jason prompted.

"Yeah, yeah, Dad." She rolled her eyes. Then, with her good hand, threw a pillow at him. "Now, _get out_!"

Chortling to himself, he shut the door and went downstairs into the kitchen. He gathered things from the fridge: Tofu bacon, different kinds of fruits and veggies, and milk. And then, from the pantry, he acquired pancake mix.

"Daddy!"

He only had a moment's reaction before his seven-year-old daughter flung herself into his arms. He managed to set the milk down before she made him spill it, catching her with the arm that had previously been holding the diary product.

"Cleta!" he exclaimed, hugging his youngest and ticking her sides. She squealed and wriggled, but he set her down before she could get too loud. "Where's your sister? Did Jasper get down okay?"

"I got down fine, Dad," said a voice coming down the stairs. Jasper emerged, maneuvering on her crutches so that she wouldn't trip and worsen her injuries.

The boot on her leg and the cast on her wrist were proof that the eleven-year-old had saved the praetor from a monster. Jasper had been exploring, and the praetor–a nice son of Janus named Kyle–had been sitting on a rock, thinking over some leader-y thing, as Jasper had put it. Apparently, it was important enough for a hydra managed to sneak up on him. Jasper saved him, but not without her getting sent to the infirmary and earning a six week break from duty until she healed.

"You girls ready?" he said.

"Yeah!" Cleta cheered, being careful not to be too loud.

Her hair defied all laws of gravity; it stuck up in all different directions like she enjoyed placing her fingers of electric sockets. (Which she could, if she really wanted to. It wouldn't hurt her.) The tresses were golden, and the tips and roots of her locks were unusually caramel brown, just like her mother's hair. Her eyes were electric blue, and her skin had that Cherokee tan.

Jasper was paler than her younger sister, but no one questioned her heritage. (She was already an accomplished soldier of the legion, going on her first quest when she joined at the age of eight. People whispered that she could possibly make praetor, just like her father.) Her eyes were kaleidoscope, but preferred to stay on the blue side of the spectrum, and her hair shown golden in the sunlight. She was tall for her age, towering over most of the thirteen-fourteen years olds by a few inches.

Jason grinned as Jasper lined up beside Cleta.

"Alright," he said. "Time to get to work."

Cleta helped Jason with the pancakes and tofu bacon and Jasper manned the smoothie station. Well, Cleta didn't really do anything except stare in wonder at the sizzling fake meat and fetching whatever her father wanted her to fetch.

"Could you grab the pancake mix for me, Cleta?" Jason requested as he loaded the last of the bacon onto a paper plate.

She perked up. "Sure, Dad!" Using the winds, she shot over to the where the pancake mix was, picked it up mid-air, and flew back in a flash. Once she landed, she handed the mix to Jason and sent a smug look at Jasper.

The older rolled her eyes. Unlike her sister, she didn't get wind powers. But, instead, she could create blasts lightning from her fingertips, not having to worry about calling it down from the sky and draining herself, as Cleta _and_ Jason had to. They both inherited the same caliber of charmspeak from Piper, though, so there wasn't any contest over that.

Jasper pulled the lid off of the blender, steadying herself on the counter so that she can stick a finger into the concoction she just made. She hummed in approval and shifted herself so that she could pour it into a glass.

"Now, just _what_ do we have here?"

Jason started at the voice. He whipped around and saw his lovely wife.

"Mom!" Cleta said. "We're…making food for the dog….That we just got."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm-hum." She glanced over at Jasper. "I didn't know dogs liked fruit and vegetable smoothies."

Jason put his hands up in surrender. "You caught us." Then, he picked up the plate of tofu bacon, placing a pancake on it. "It was supposed to be breakfast in bed, but…"

He handed it to her and kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday, Pipes."

**AN: Time to play America's favorite game show, Question of the Chapter! So, here's your question, contestants: Where do Jasper's and Cleta's names come from? **

**Figure that out, and you win...I don't know, a puppy? (But not really. I'm filling your head with lies.)**

**REVIEW CORNER:**

**To dauntlessmermaid: Of course I would! I really did enjoy writing it. (I have this weird obsession with the tortured hero side of Annabeth.) It just took a while to get around to it because...Well, because Percy's my _baby, _and killing him was _hard_.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**


	8. Chapter 8: Naming Themes

**AN: Dang! It's been a while since I've gotten a new chapter out for this story.**

**But, hey, this is, like, four one-shots crammed into one, so it's up to you to decide if it was worth the wait! (**_**If**_** you were even waiting for it, of course.)**

**This one is future!Percabeth/Caleo/Frazel/Jasper, where I put my own spin on their kids. I was going to put Solangelo in here, but, sadly, their pairing just didn't fit with this theme. :( Maybe I'll get them next time.**

**I hope you guys enjoy, and that everything is alright! If not, then please let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement that pokes fun at my entire story.**

Percabeth

Percy and Annabeth sit on the couch, watching TV in silence. One of his hands massages her foot while the other rests on her swollen belly.

Her right hand covers his own, twining their fingers together before she asks, "What should we name them?"

He immediately knows what she's talking about. They just came back from the doctors' office to learn the genders of the pair of twins currently inside Annabeth's stomach.

"Well," Percy starts, rubbing his thumb over her bellybutton, "we're going to name one of them Luke, of course…"

"No."

He gives her a surprised look. "But I thought you wanted to name our first-born son Luke."

"I know, but I just…" She struggles to find the words to explain her idea. "I was just thinking…since we're having male twins…that…it'd be perfect if we name them after Bob and Damasen."

A grin spreads on his face and he flips his hand over so that he can squeeze hers'. "It sounds perfect," he says, and she smiles back.

"But the one named after Bob will be legally named Robert," she announces. "My brother used to get so much teasing for his name being Bob."

"Okay," Percy agrees easily. "What about their middle names?"

"You decide," she replies.

"Hmmm." He thinks over it a moment, then removes his hand from her foot to snap his fingers. "Leo and Jason!"

"Robert Leo Jackson and Damasen Jason Jackson," Annabeth muses. She smiles broadly at him. "It sounds great."

Then she frowns. "You're not giving Jason's name to Damasen to call him DJ, are you?"

"Maaaaaaaaaaybe."

"I swear to the gods above, Percy…"

;

"Daddy! Daddy!" Atalanta jumps up and down excitedly, looking about ready to burst. "Daddy Daddy Daddy Daddy! Guess what Uncle Leo told us about today?"

"What'd he tell you about, Lannie?" Percy asks, opening in the door to their house, balancing baby Luca in one hand. (He's the stay-at-home parent.) Smallest Bob and DJ run right inside, while Lannie walks backwards so that she can make sure her dad is listening to her.

Percy had just picked Smallest Bob, DJ, and Lannie up from the park where Leo and Calypso (they were visiting New Rome) had offered to watch the older children alongside their own kids while Percy got some actual cleaning done. Apparently, Leo had told quite the exciting story.

"He told me all about my namesake!" Lannie crows, puffing out her pudgy cheeks.

He raises an eyebrow at his daughter, shutting the door behind him. Luke (baby Luca) picks at his hair. "Did he now?"

"Yeah!" Lannie loses her footing for a moment, tripping over her untied shoelaces (Percy can never tie them right) before regaining her composure. "He told me that the first Atalanta's momma was a bear! And she was the fasterest runner ever! And she killed the mightiest pig around!" She turns around, mimicking stabbing with spear with such glee that Percy doesn't have the heart to correct her about the fact Atalanta killed a boar, not a pig.

"And-and then," Lannie brings her hands up in a way that's supposed to be claw-like and bares her teeth, "she turned into a lion!" She leaps onto the couch. "RAWR! I'ma lion, too!"

Percy eyes go wide and they snap to his four-year-old daughter in horror. "He didn't tell you…_why_…Atalanta got turned into a lion, did he?"

"Nope!" Lannie answers gleefully, pouncing on a pillow. Percy sighs in relief, and then his daughter cranes her neck to look at him. "Why'd she get turned into a lion, Daddy?"

"Well, it's because…" Percy searches his head for ideas. If only Annabeth were here. "It's because…Atalanta was the mightiest warrior of all time, and the gods needed to put her in a body that could contain her…_powerful_ spirit."

"Woah!" Lannie does nothing but stare at him, marveling at the lie (_white_ lie, because what four-year-old needs to know the R-rated details of their namesake? Not _his_ daughter) he spun.

Her attention span sizzles out, and she asks, "What did the other great hero I was named after do?"

"Bianca?" Percy says. Lannie nods. He smiles and sits down, propping Luke on his knee. "Well, it all starts because of your Uncle Grover…"

;

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Percy turns around, catching the flash of blond curls before Luke falls on the ground.

"Hey!" he greets, chipper. "How was your…"

He cuts himself off when he feels wet tears on his neck where his child's face is pressed. "Hey, hey, now. What's wrong? Tell Dad what's wrong."

"The kids at school–" Luke cuts off with a gasp before restarting.

"The kids at school were making fun of me because my name is Luke and I'm a girl!" she blurts all in one breath, the five-year-old sobbing into his neck, clutching the back of his shirt.

Percy immediately feels bad. He and Annabeth had known this would probably happen, but they agreed that four was the number of kids they would have before they stopped, and they both knew that Luke (the son of Hermes) deserved to have one of their kids named after him.

They honestly thought that Luke (their daughter) was going to be a boy, since the morning sickness was like that of when Annabeth was pregnant with the twins and not like when she was pregnant with Lannie. They skipped over learning the gender, and were surprised when they heard the _It's a girl!_ Not having another name idea, they had just changed the first name from Lucas to Luca and the middle name from Frank to Reyna. They kept the nickname, Luke, the same.

He runs a hand up and down Luke's back. "It's okay, sweetheart; they're just a couple of mean kids that have no idea what they're talking about," he sooths, but Luke turns it around.

"_I_ have no idea why you even named me Luke!" she screams, kicking her legs and punching at his arm.

He sighs, not really feeling the things Luke decked out on him. "Let me tell you, then," he offers, sitting her down in the front seat of the car so that he's at eye-level with her, cupping her small hands between his own, much larger ones.

Tears stream down her red cheeks. Her curly blond hair is tousled and her green eyes are bloodshot from crying.

"When your momma was a little girl," Percy starts, brushing a tear away from his daughter's cheek, "she had a hard life. A dangerous life. And she couldn't always protect herself."

"But I thought you said _you_ protected her," Luke mumbles.

He shakes his head. "I couldn't protect her before I knew her," he says. "But that was okay, because two other people were there for her. One of them was your Auntie Thalia, and the other was a son of Hermes.

"Aunt Thalia…went out of the picture for a little while, and she couldn't be around for Mom anymore. But do you want to know who was?"

"The son of Hermes," Luke answers.

"Right. The son of Hermes protected her, and, even when he strayed from the right path for a while, he always had her best intention at heart. Like me and Lannie and Smallest Bob and DJ and Mom are _you're_ family, he promised to be _her_ family. Forever. And he kept that promise, until…until the very end."

He squeezes her hands. "So…Luke…What do you think the son of Hermes's name was?"

She sniffles. "Luke," she guesses.

"Right. His name was Luke." He nods. "And, now you're name is. Your momma and I knew that, if we gave you that name, we knew that you'd go on to do great things. You'd protect people, like he did. You'd _save_ people, like he did. You'd save the _world_, just like Luke did."

;

Caleo

They sit in the nursery, moonlight coming in through the window being the only light in the room. Arms wrap around their knees, hugging them close to their chests. The only sound is the breathing of their baby.

"We've gotta name her," Calypso says, breaking the silence.

"I know," Leo replies, tugging his knees closer.

"She can't stay 'Baby Flame' forever," she reminds him.

"I know," Leo grounds out. She gives him a surprised look at his gruffness, and he sighs, forcing himself to relax. "I just…She kind of snuck up on us, you know? We've only been back a year, and we just moved into the shop…"

"It's okay." She sets a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately leans into her touch. She places a kiss on his forehead. "We'll get through this."

"I…" He loses his voice for a moment. Taking her hand from her shoulder, he presses his lips against her palm. "We have a baby, and we aren't even married," he murmurs against her rough skin. "We aren't even engaged yet, for Hephaestus's sake!"

The baby grunts in her crib, and Leo immediately silences.

"You said _yet_," Calypso says softly.

"Hmm?"

"You said we aren't engaged _yet_."

He turns beat red. "Ah, what the heck?" he says to himself, taking a box out of his pocket and handing it to her. "I'm not finished with it, but…"

When she opens it, she gasps. It's a Celestial bronze band, encrusted with the glowing crystals from her cave. There are some spots where the crystals are missing (obviously his _not finished_ parts), but it melts her heart to know that he's making the ring. _He's_ making it. For _her_.

"So this is what you've been doing for the past couple of days," she mutters, staring at the glowing ring.

"Months, actually," Leo corrects. Calypso turns to him sharply and kisses him hard, one hand twisted in his shirt, the other clutching the box.

When they pull away, panting, he asks, "So…are you gonna let all that time go to waste or are you gonna say yes?"

"Of course I'm going to say yes, you idiot," she mutters. He grins, and then his hair catches fire. Calypso doesn't care, because he's slipping the ring on her finger.

They kiss again, and this time Calypso says something first. "We've still got to name Baby Flame," she says, talking about the name Leo had been calling the baby for the past couple of days.

"Well," he says, "since you're insisting about removing my already perfect name, I think her name should mean _fire_. She's always going to be our baby flame."

"What names meaning fire do you know?"

"Hmmm…" He thinks for a moment. "Adan," he says finally.

"Adan," Calypso repeats. "I like it." He grins at her. "And the middle name?"

"Ogygia," he answers without hesitation. "Adan Ogygia Valdez."

She leans into him. "Okay."

;

"Twins," Calypso breathes, clutching his hand like she finally registered the news the doctor gave them. "We're having twins."

"Twins," Leo agrees. He squeezes her hand back, and turns the steering wheel.

"What are going to name them?"

"Well, obviously, since we're having a boy, his name will be Festus–"

"Leo!" Calypso scolds. "We will _not_ name our son after the dragon!"

"Fine, then, the girl can be Festus."

"Festus!" Adan crows from her car seat. She bursts into flames, but it's okay, because Calypso and Leo had the sense to fire-proof _everything_ that they owned.

Leo gives Calypso a look. "See? Even Adan wants her little sister to be named Festus." Removing his hand from Calypso's, he reaches back to tickle his daughter. She squeals and squirms, flames ticking at his fingers. "Isn't that right, Danni?"

"Leo!" Calypso chides again, smacking his arm. "Don't get her all riled up!" He shrugs. "And we're not naming any of our children Festus!"

He sighs, "_Fine_, Sunshine. We won't name the kids after the dragon."

"Good." Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she nods.

The car falls silent for a moment. Then, she says, "Esperanza."

"Huh?" Leo glances at his wife, then back at the road.

"Since Adan is named after my home, we'll name the girl after yours."

"You want to name our daughter Houston?"

"No." She shakes her head. "Your mother. We'll name her after your mother."

"Oh," Leo says casually. Then his eyes widen. "_Oh_." He feels like crying out of joy. "You-you want t-to name our daughter Esperanza?"

She nods. He has to wipe a tear from his eye before clutching her hand tightly.

"Thank you," he whispers.

"You're welcome," she replies. "And the boy?"

"Well…" He has to swallow a lump in his throat. "Since we're going for family, and I doubt you'd want to name our son after your family…Samuel. Sammy. His name will be Sammy." She smiles lovingly at him, knowing the story behind the name.

"Festus!" Adan crows.

;

Frazel

"I'm home!" Frank announces, kicking off his shoes and placing down his bag.

Hazel smiles at him from next to the table, where she's helping Forrest and Rowan cut up pieces of construction paper for an art project. "Hey, praetor," she greets.

"Daddy!" Elm crows, throwing himself into his father's arms, followed closely by his fellow triplets, Laurel and Sylvan. Elm rocks himself back and forth, a bright smile on his face. "Daddy, guess what we learned at school today!"

"What did you learn?" Frank asks, lowering the five-year-olds to the ground.

"I said guess!"

Placing a finger on his chin, Frank thinks for a long while. It's long enough for Sylvan to blurt, "We learned about trees today!"

"Did you now?" Frank says, looking at Laurel for confirmation. She shifts on her feet, nodding.

"Yeah!" she says quietly.

"C'mon!" Both Elm and Sylvan take either of his hands, dragging him over to the table. They, along with Laurel, hop on their chairs and pull out their homework.

Turning to Hazel, Frank says, "Hey there, beautiful," and plants a sweet kiss on her lips.

"_Eww_!" Forrest says. The eight-year-old covers his eyes. "Mom! Dad!" At just a year younger, Rowan covers his eyes, too, but he turns into a snake and puts his tail over his head to do so.

The triplets finally get their homework out of their backpacks, and place notebooks on the table. Sylvan leans on the wood, tapping his finger against his pad.

"We learned about trees!" he repeats. "See? That kind of tree is called oak, and that one's a birch!"

"Ooh, ooh!" Elm bounces on his feet, vying for Frank's attention to show off what he knows. "This tree is called ash, and this one…" He pauses for moment, his chubby face twisted in confusion. "This one is called laurel!"

"Really?" Laurel gasps, leaning over to see her brother's pad. A few black, rogue curls fall in her face. "It is!" she exclaims. "I've got a tree named after me!"

"There's a tree named after me, too!" Sylvan insists, tapping over the sylvan tree. "And one for Rowan and one for Elm!"

"And one for Mommy!" Elm says.

"And…" Laurel glances at her oldest brother, wonder written all over her face. "They all live in a _forest_."

"Whoa!" Forrest leans forward, suddenly interested, and Rowan slithers on the table next to Laurel's book.

"Hey." Hazel gives Rowan a pointed look. "What's the rule?"

Rowan slithers back onto a chair, turning into his normal dark-skinned, straight-haired self. "No being an animal on the table," he sighs.

"Thank you, dear," Hazel says.

He nods, leaning forward to stare at Elm's book, and that's what the kids do for the rest of the night.

;

Jasper

"What does my name mean?"

Cleta blurts this question one night.

Piper is sitting on the couch, reading a book, and Jason and Jasper are seated next to her, watching the moving that's playing. Cleta is sprawled out on a separate chair, her head draped over the armrest to look at her family.

"Well…" He hesitates for a moment, knowing his daughter's humor, but continuing on all the same. "Cleta–the original Cleta–was a part of this special group of daughters of Zeus, okay?"

"The original Thalia, and not your aunt, was a part of this group, too," Piper says, her eyes still fitted on the book.

"Right." Jason nods. "Your aunts' name means 'good cheer'–which I find kind of funny–while yours means _renowned_. You were also named after your aunt in a sense that the original Cleta was sometimes said to be the third member of the special group of Zeus's daughters instead of the original Thalia. Like, making room for a new generation."

"What was this group of Zeus's daughters called, Dad?" Cleta asks. "I mean, they gotta have a club name, or _something_."

Jason cringes. He had hoped that Cleta wouldn't ask this question. "They were called…" He pauses. "They were called the Graces."

"The Graces," she echoes, thinking it over for a moment. Then, a grin spreads across her face. "The _Graces_," she repeats. Then she bursts out laughing.

She curls up on her side, clutching her stomach, and ends up falling off the chair. Using her powers, she suspends herself in the air for a moment before she loses control of them and falls onto the carpet with an "Oomph!"

She keeps on laughing, her older sister looking at her with the classic _wtf are you doing, sibling? You're embarrassing our family _look. Cleta rolls on the floor, kicking and laughing and squealing.

"Oh my gods!" she gasps. "My-my name is li-literarily a _pun_!" She wipes the tears from her eyes. "Best–day–_ever_."

Once she calms down, she climbs back on her chair, still chuckling, and Jasper asks their parents, "Since there's such a great story behind Cleta's name, what's the story behind mine?"

"Oh." Piper shrugs indifferently. "We just liked the name."

**AN: The last Question of the Chapter answered! Now for the new one: Which kid's name twisted your feels the most? Percabeth's twins, Luke, Caleo's twins… (I've gotta go for Luke.)**

**Okay. *takes deep breath* You guys might want to get comfy, because I'm going to explain how all the kids' ages fit together! Okay, here we go:**

**Robert, Damasen, and Adan were born about eight years after the Second Giant War (when Percabeth is twenty-five-ish).**

**Jasper was born about nine years after the Second Giant War.**

**Forrest and Atalanta were born about ten years after the Second Giant War.**

**Sammy, Esperanza, and Rowan were born about eleven years after the Second Giant War.**

**Cleta, Luke, Laurel, Sylvan, and Elm were all born about thirteen years after the Second Giant War.**

**Whew! There! I haven't even gotten to Solangelo's, Groviper's(?), and Chrisse's(?) kids yet, but I'll spare you guys for right now.**

**REVIEW CORNER:**

**To (I think you're The Pleased Procrastinator? I guess?): Here's how I'm gonna explain it: Yes, Cleta and Jasper can choose between Greek and Roman, because their dad is Roman and their mom is Greek. But Percabeth's kids can't train at Camp Jupiter, since they're full-blooded Greeks. Though, since Frank **_**is**_** a descendant of Poseidon, Frazel's children **_**can**_** go to Camp Half-Blood, but I'm not too sure about Caleo's kiddos, because I don't know if Calypso was a part of Roman myths, too.**

**I hope that answered your question and didn't bore you to death! :D**

**This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**Constructive criticism welcome, and reviews really do mean a lot to me!**


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